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Category: Marketing

Whether you are offering chiropractic services or are a fitness trainer, you want to have a website that will entice both new and existing customers. There is nothing like a clunky and cluttered website to drive away customers. Here are great tips for improving the key aspects of your website in order to make it enticing and attractive, and blossom into a real winner on the net.

Navigation

Put a good thought into site layout so that your visitors can navigate easily. All important sections should be listed prominently and if possible, link as many pages coherently as this move allows your site to be user-friendly.

Branding

Branding is key and you want to incorporate memorable elements such as your logo and color scheme into your website. Your company logo should be prominent on the home page and make sure you put it in all subsequent pages so as to promote your brand.

Home page

This is the first contact with your visitors so make sure that they are able to tell immediately what this website is all about. If the fitness training service is your line of business, then putting call to actions like “get started now” or “buy now” should be visually prominent on your home page.

Content

If you sell services or products online, make sure to provide complete and clear information to give your prospective customers the confidence to click and buy. Putting too much content on a page can make your audience get afraid to scroll down. However, too little content can make your customers suspicious too so strike a right balance.

Refresh content

If you want to draw your customers back, then you need to update your content often. A blog can be a great way to renew your content because you don’t have to make lots of changes on the code.

Think SEO

As you design your site, put those search engine optimization aspects in mind. Splashy graphics and photos can be great, but they cannot be read well by search engines. You can have a text link that prompts audience to view your portfolio instead of a using a graphical button. Texts are easily read by search engines.

Colors

Using complementary colors can make your text easily readable. For example, don’t clash colors such as text in red color placed on a blue background. This will make it hard to read and can turn off visitors.

Be accessible

Always ensure that your contact information is at the top or bottom of each and every page of your web site.

Sound

Did you know that music that plays automatically when visitors load your page can be an automatic turnoff? If you have sound, make sure it is easily and pleasantly disabled. The same goes for videos; if possible, have a button requesting your visitors to play the video to see what you offer or how things are done – only if your video is great!

Images

We all know the power of pictures and images. If for instance you are training people for physical fitness, then you should know that good photography is key by showing how you actually train and a few photos of yourself looking fit while training will certainly help!

Bodysite Builder offers complete websites for professions such as fitness trainers, physical therapists, massage therapists and chiropractors among others. Our websites are easily customizable and you can edit them easily to suit your changing needs!

In the beginning of setting up your businessFacebook page, it can be a little slow and discouraging when trying to get it started. Here are some ways to get the ball rolling on increasing you fanbase.

1.) Suggest to Your Friends

This should be your first step when you make your Facebook page. If you didn’t, don’t worry, you can do it now. In your Facebook’s admin panel, there will be a little box on the right that says, “Invite Friends” on it. It should come up with a list that shows your friends. Click on the “invite” button to invite your friend to like your page. This helps, because when your friend “likes” your page, it will appear in their friend’s feed, giving your business page more exposure.

2.) Put a “Like Us” Box Up

You’ve probably seen this before. On a business’s website, they will have a little box that has the Facebook thumbs-up symbol, and says, “Like Us on Facebook!” Add one of these to your business’ website and/or blog. This will attract the customers you have already to become a fan on your Facebook. You might even want to ask them to like your Facebook page in person.

3.) Interact with Users You Already Have

Produce great content, and post it to your Facebook page. Ask your fans questions, and try to get them involved. The more responses and replies you get the more exposure to other people’s newsfeed you get. Ultimately, this means more possible fans.

4.) Pay for Them

This might seem like an easy way out, but it a foolproof way of getting more fans. Facebook is very particular in the way they do advertising, and exposure, and it works the best to do it through them. On Facebook, there is a button that says “Promote Page” and click on it. It will pop up with a daily budget that you can select, depending on how much you would like to spend. After selecting your budget, you can edit the duration of how many days you would like to run this ad. You pay for it, then Facebook takes care of the rest, and the Facebook fans start to roll in. Simple as that.

The holiday season has arrived, and everyone is spreading the love and cheer. Try not to forget to show your clients your appreciation for their business (and friendship) by doing something nice for them in exchange for coming to you with their trust. So, for this holiday season, for the customers that have been giving so much support to your business, let’s give them something in return!

1. Send them a Holiday Greetings Card with a Twist

Why not buy a pack of holiday cards, or design and print a pack of holiday cards that have something to do with the type of business you have, and send them out to your clients. You could go with your most frequent customers, or you could send them to all of them to try to get one-timers to come back. Slip a coupon that is good for the next time they come in, and offer 10-15% off the service or product they buy with the presentation of the coupon. This will guarantee that they come in, and it will generate more business for you. Just remember to put an expiration date on the offer!

2. Send a Newsletter or Social Media Announcement with a Gift

Take a moment out of your busy week, and write up a short message expressing your gratitude towards your customers, and give them a gift of an extra 10 minutes added onto their massage (or another service you provide) if they book it in between December 15, and January 10. Of course you can mix and match to however you wish, and make it to your own liking.

3. Make a Gift-Basket Raffle

This is a quick and easy way to do something nice as a gift to your clients. The only con is that there is only one gift basket to give away. In the gift basket, you should include a gift certificate, and products that you recommend or sell. Announce it with a photo on your social media platforms, and tell your clients that if they come in for a massage from you in the months of December and January, you will give them two raffle tickets to enter for the gift basket. One lucky winner will get the gift basket to take home!

With the world population starting to focus on getting healthy and taking care of their bodies personal trainers are in more demand than ever. There are also more options available to those folks who want to work out. Crossfit, Zumba, and Yoga are taking off as all the rage in any number of chain gyms all trying to get folks to work out with them. So what is a simple trainer going do to compete with all that? Get a website, and here’s why…

First Impressions are everything! A website will most likely be the first impression you make with a potential client. If your name doesn’t show up when someone searches for a personal trainer in their area, you are losing out on clients. How often do we go to the Internet to find anything anymore? Having your own website means you can do everything to make it optimized for search engines so these potential new clients find you.

Express Yourself. You are in control of the content. Explain what set you apart from the rest of the pack. And if all that shows up is a review website when people hear about your amazing training from a friend, you have no way of making sure the impression people get when they look for you and your training services is the one you want. Or a new gym member wants to research your services at home and think about it. Having your own website makes it easy for potential clients to find you.

Don’t Use a Facebook Page as Your Website! This is just flat out, no. While Facebook can create an area for you to promote yourself with amongst your friends, it doesn’t have the same professionalism that a freestanding website has for your business. You absolutely need a business Facebook page for that social media word of mouth, but if that is your only online presence it is not as versatile as your own website.

Look Updated and Informed. If you are up to date with your business, you will seem up to date with your skills and services as well. Not having a website, or worse having an outdated website, lends itself to the impression that you as a professional aren’t up to date. You can have a list of 30 different certifications but if I don’t see it anywhere, how do I know as a potential client?

Practice convenience. If you set up your online presence to stream well with your business you save yourself so many headaches. You can set up gift certificates, appointment schedulers, calendars, really anything you need to better run your business. Having it all set up in one place simplifies your life and that gives you more time for training and networking.

And with the number of different ways to have a website out there, there really is no excuse not to take the time and have a professional website dedicated to your practice. Some cost more but require little work from you, some are less expensive but will require you to do the editing. Ultimately you need to get your name out there where people are looking for it.

Do you feel yourself stuck or confused when it comes to writing for your blog? Writer’s block happens to some of the best of writers in the world, so don’t worry. You’re massage therapy website will benefit from any writing and attention that you give it. These 3 easy tips will help you zero-in on a topic, and add to your blog entries to attract more web traffic to your website:

1.) Educate your Audience

Take the time to explain why massage therapy is good for your health, and take a topic and focus it on a specific body part. You could make a series of what techniques help which body part, or what types of diagnosis that massage therapy can help to manage (For example, depression, anxiety, and hypertension). Explain in the simplest terms so that even a 5-year-old could understand, and remember to not assume that everyone knows what you know.

2.) Write a Post from a Question

Ask your audience on you Facebook page or Twitter if they have a question that they would like to have answered. You could even go as far as to ask them to message it to you if they are too embarrassed to ask it publicly. Then you take the question and use it as the topic for your next blog post.

3.) Look at the Current Events/Trends

Is there anything new and current that relates to your field? Any new trends going on in diets that you can help explain, and why it may or may not be good for the person. Try looking around on the news and see if there is an article you would like to discuss in more detail, and give your professional opinion on the matter. You’d be surprised to find out how much people love to learn new things.

So you are sitting there trying to decide which pictures to use for your website. And the ones you took from your phone look a little blurry, your buddy got this great shot of the building it also got one of your clients who wants to be anonymous in it, and professional photographers are not cheap. So what’s a poor massage therapist (or physical therapist, or any body worker for that matter) supposed to do?

Well it may shock you to know that there are some really good free, or nearly free, photos out there if you know where, and how, to look for them. So without further ado…

Bigstockphoto.com – This website has a featured free image every day. Not that useful. But they do have inexpensive, quality photos to choose from, and more importantly, don’t require any fancy knowledge. Just buy a credit package, and depending on the size of the photo, it can cost between 1 and 6 credits. The really, super nice feature? I see a photo that is close to what I want but just not right. Below that image will be related images. Sometimes from the same shoot and a different arrangement, or a similar layout from a different shoot, and suggested keywords to try and find exactly what you are looking for in a photo. So while there is a cost, it’s ease of use saves you so much time it’s almost negligible.

Rgbstock.com – We can’t provide photos from this company, but you as the end user may search and add them to your website to your hearts content. Registering is easy. You can use several different social website logins, or simply fill in 3 fields on the RGBstock. Simply start searching and downloading. When you look at a photo it gives you all the keywords that photo was tagged with so you have an idea of how to search to find more of them. Not quite as super easy to navigate like BigStock, but it is free for use.

Sxc.hu – Stock.XCHNG is another free photo website for you to look through to find just what you want. There is the simple search box on the top of the page and the ability to do an advanced search using multiple terms and looking in specific categories. Looking at a picture will also suggest similar pictures at the bottom and let you know what keywords were used for the photo. And what categories it was put in for helping to refine your searches. The layout is a little busy, and it takes some getting use to, but some really good tools if you want them.

Massagenerd.com – This is an amazing resource. Not just for photos but that will be another post some day. You do have to give credit to Massagenerd.com when you use one of their pictures, and limit yourself to 5 of them on your website, but here you have a collection of massage photos by massage therapists. No need to search or wonder what they were thinking when they labeled that picture massage. Not my first choice only because you are limited to 5 photos and you do have to credit the photo. But a great resource nonetheless.

Morguefile.com – This is our favorite free photo website. Simple, clean, and easy to use with great photos. Using multiple terms results in an advanced search for multiple keywords so I suggest simply using a single term for the most results. Spa and massage are somewhat limited, but search for something like bamboo and the page just keeps going. Like the other general sites you have to do some digging to find the good massage photos you want, but I find it to be one of the easiest to use of the general sites that are free.

Check out the sites and see which one works best for you. Like any list this one is subjective to my preferences, but I think that all these websites have potential to help you find the best photo sources for your website.

As the competition in the massage therapy world stiffens up, here at Bodysite Builder we want to help you reach your maximum potential and hit your goals. We know it’s not easy financially in the beginning to get the advertising you need, especially when 69% of practicing therapists are sole practitioners, according to the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). Here are some tips to help you promote your business without spending a fortune!

Word-of-mouth referrals are always the best, but sometimes the method doesn’t work as fast as we would like. To move things along a little bit faster, make an incentive for your current clients to refer you. Here’s an example, “Receive a complimentary massage after referring 2 clients to us.” You can bend this however you like to accommodate to your practice, of course.

Design a flyer and print out a handful of them. Every time you go to public facilities, make sure to leave some in a visible location. Ask your local businesses to help promote! Consider places that your potential clients would go and leave some around. Go to a high foot traffic area and hand them out yourself. This is a great way to raise awareness about your business locally.

We’ve all seen them at least once before. Those boxes that ask you to enter your info and submit your chance for something free. Most likely, you’ve even entered one yourself! Try setting up a few of these boxes in waiting areas of offices or places you think would generate a lot of attention. Offer to win a free 30-minute massage and consultation, and people will be drawn to enter. Everyone loves something FREE! If they don’t win, you will have their contact information to let them know about your referral program.

Other local businesses are your support team. They want to be able to help you get business to help their own. Get to know them, and offer them packages. Ask them if they can hand out coupons for your business, or if you could set up a display of flyers or of business cards. Many businesses will not have a problem with this helping your promote, especially if you’re willing to return the favor.

The days of squinting to read a website on your phone are over! We’re excited to introduce a selection of new mobile-ready templates launching next month! These stylish and modern designs will restructure in a mobile device (such as a smart phone or tablet) to a more appealing and user friendly layout. To enrich the user experience the navigation transforms to an easy to use drop down, wide layouts become longer and content becomes more legible for mobile viewing. Stay tuned for more examples next month!

Kentucky Fried Chicken, Napster, Microsoft, Apple and other billion dollar co-operations are the perfect examples of how this is not a pipe dream. Following the chronology of events that led to the beginning of these empires and their subsequent success will tell you one thing; dreaming is a major ingredient of business success; therefore next time you tell someone about your intentions, you should take their derision in the “in your dreams” comments as a positive thing.

These empires did not start with a lot of capital; neither did they start as big things, they started as business ideas which became actualized by committed people who were willing to embrace every change that came about in the dynamic market that is the twenty first century. In fact, most of them are initiators of these technological changes because they know that it is important to keep changing as long as it makes you efficient, lean and better at what you do.

There is no doubt that the internet has done all these things for businesses. They have transformed once small enterprises to mega businesses by sometimes even harnessing ideas from their clientele through the website suggestion box.

As experts in communication via the internet, we normally say that you will need to embrace the major steps toward making yourself relevant. If you are not ready for such a revelation just yet, you will never be ready. There are three things you will need – an efficient workforce, good advertising and a good website.

What do you need to know about setting up a website?

1. It starts from somewhere

Many people fumble when making a website because they sometimes do not know what to do and they do not have money to hire certified professional. If you are young at creating websites, this is our moment to shine; it is the moment Eminem spoke about, it is where you lose yourself and you will let your work speak for you.

To start, you can begin with simple coding or downloading templates from the net and customizing them to suit your client’s needs. This will not take a lot of time and will be able to give them a universal look that is professional and acceptable.

2. It takes courage

Once you have your red bull, your crack your fingers and settle in – it will take courage and determination to come up with a website that will be regarded as phenomenal. It will be your making or breaking point, and therefore you will have to apply yourself and make it the best work you’ve ever done. This should be true for all your projects – make every project, every website better than the last and create a profile and reputation that will speak for itself.

3. Do your homework

Things online change every day. Someone comes up with new designs, new templates and new ideas. You need to keep abreast with the information and updates in the worldwide domains, the rules and updated policies that might affect your designs and so on. Information is power and it is your friend.

The major question on many business owner’s minds is how to grow from a small startup to major force in the marketplace. Success in business is all about filling a gap – meeting a need that people have by providing a service that people want. Knowing your clients & their needs is crucial, and trying your best to meet those needs should be foremost in your mind. Once you’ve got a handle on which of those needs your business will attempt to meet you can focus your website on achieving those ends.

The most effective and crucial part of and business in the twenty first century is the website. It is vital to have a website that is functional, well run and maintained to help you increase your sales and client base. This is because many people have embraced convenience of shopping and researching from the comfort of their homes. So how do you make it easy for them and profitable for you?

The Wrong Colors

Color says a lot about your company and the spirit of your management. Many online businesses fail because the colors on their websites are not friendly or don’t appeal to the customer demographic. Image consultants advise choosing neutral colors for the basic elements of the site and using brighter colors to draw visitors attention to the elements you want them to focus on – like “Book Now” and “Buy Now” buttons.

You already know more about color theory and how people react to certain hues than you probably realize. Bright shades of red mean “stop” or “danger” to most people, whereas greens are inviting and inspire one to proceed – or “go”. Darker blues lend an air of durability and trust, while lighter blues and blue-greens are very soothing and calming. Colors work on people unconsciously. They may not be able to tell you why they like certain websites – they may tell you that they “just do”. But odds are, they’re connecting to the color scheme in some way.

Irrelevant Information

The information you choose to display on your website must be relevant to what you sell and in line with the mission and values of your business. Keep the main pages of your site light on “copy”, or text and heavy on graphics and photography – use “read more” links to allow people who are interested to drill down deeper and read more. The top-level pages of your website are like the ads on a storefront window – they’re intended to grab your attention and encourage you to come inside and look around.

Be sure that all the information on your website is up to date and relevant. A blog that hasn’t been updated in 6 months or a year will seem stale even if the content is interesting and well written. Make a point to have areas of your site that you update weekly, or at the very least monthly so that returning visitors can see that they’re dealing with a vibrant, active company.

Broken Stuff

Do all the links on your site actually work? What about your forms? When’s the last time you checked? Performing regular maintenance on your website is just as important as it is on your car. Things do tend to break. Content and pages get added, menu items get renamed, photos get changed. Check all the clickable elements on your site once and a while – a full site “audit” will keep the online face of your business blemish-free and will show your visitors your attention to detail.

Decades ago the secret to a successful business was simple. Sell for more than you buy. Concentrate on the 4 P’s : Product, Place, Price and Promotion. Pay your taxes. Today not much has changed. (Well, perhaps the last one). But the stage where it’s playing on is very different. It’s called the Web. And it’s spanking new. And there’s a site there for each and every one of us. Come with and let’s visit.

Go with the ever-changing information flow

In the new business environment everything is changing. It is, most of us suspect, because of the Information Age. Each day, information is flowing in and it keeps on updating and changing all the information that flowed in the previous day. One has to go with the flow. Keep updating your skills and keep updating the business model. By the way, today’s business gurus call it growth.

Contribute to the information flow but keep it relevant

After having parked off in a website we should keep it up to date. The design of the site should include tools so that in no time at all we can post our latest service, trumpet the latest benefit and digitize the latest testimonial. We must listen to what our customer base is telling us and play it back on our website. Using beautiful fonts, splashing colorful images and inside glorious moving frames. In short: inform through the use of multimedia.

Basic business marketing concepts will always remain the same (that’s why they are “basic”)

Business is about having a conversation and word-of-mouth is the jackpot. The only modification nowadays is that the currency also includes email, blogs, website-based calendars and gift certificates. As long as you keep delivering the goods the website should keep them coming back for more. A business’ best asset is repeat customers. It is all about relationship building. So be sure to have a website replete with all the tools to keep it attractive and interactive.

Service is the name of the game

At the end of each session or treatment it’s worthwhile to remember that you are in the service industry. Whatever you did was, I know, the best you had to give. But now you are asked to give even more. Make life easier for them, the people that are the most important in your business. Help them to find you every time through the online map on your website. Help them not to give in to that loser part of them and miss the appointment due to an unscheduled stop at McDonalds. Allow them to pay online via your website and watch them whizz past each temptation right into your welcoming parking space.

When making that leap onto the Web, you start creating a site that reflects yourself and your business values. Make sure you have the tools that will give your customers the best of the best: a professionally designed site. This allows them to easily connect to you thus allowing them to help themselves.